Two-piece shelf and pole bracket



1963 R. DICKINSON ETAL 3,113,673

TWO-PIECE SHELF AND POLE BRACKET Filed Dec. 26, 1962 United StatesPatent 3,113,678 TWO-PIECE SHELF AND POLE BRACKET Lloyd R. Dickinson andWilliam V. Vessalo, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to McKinney ManufacturingCompany, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 26,1962, Ser. No. 247,040 Claims. (Cl. 211-90) This invention relates toshelf and pole brackets for clothes closets.

'In Patent 2,908,471 a shelf and pole bracket of the type contemplatedherein is disclosed. 'Ilhat bracket is formed from two pieces that arewelded together by the manufacturer. The welding adds to the cost, andthe complete bracket is rather bulky to pack and ship.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a shelf and polebracket, which can be made from only two parts that need not beassembled until ready for use, which is made from parts that can benested with like parts of other brackets to form compact bundles forstorage and shipping, which do not require any welding, and which can bequickly and easily assembled by the user without requiring separatefastening members.

In accordance with this invention, a metal bar is bent at right anglesto form a vertical wall-engaging leg and a horizontal forwardlyextending shelf-supporting "arm. The latter has at its front end aforwardly extending central tongue, which is offset downwardly from theupper plane of the arm. Beneath the arm there is an inclined metal bracethat has a vertical lower end portion engaging the front of the lowerportion of the leg and provided with a vertical notch. The leg has atongue extending through the notch and then upward in front of the lowerend portion of the brace. The brace has a horizontal upper end portionin front of the arm, and the brace also is provided with an opening,through which the offset tongue extends forward to a position beneaththe horizontal end portion of the brace. A pole-receiving hook isrigidly suspended from the front end of the brace and extends forwardfrom it. If desired, the overlapping portions of the brace and bar maybe provided with aligned holes for screws that will attach the bracketto the wall and to the shelf supported by it.

-The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a side view of our bracketshown supporting a shelf and pole;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the bracket;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the bracket only;

PlG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the front end portion ofthe horizontal member of the bracket; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the upper end portion ofthe brace, showing the hook.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a wooden shelf 1, and a pole 2 fromwhich clothes can be hung, are shown supported by our bracket mounted ona wall 3 of a clothes closet. There may be .two or more of thesebrackets spaced along the shelf, or only one of them if the ends of theshelf and pole rest on cleats fastened to the walls of the closet at theopposite ends of the shelf. Each bracket is shown formed from only twopieces, a metal bar 4 bent to form a right angle, and an inclined brace5 supporting a hook 6 at its upper end. To get the full advantage ofthis invention, the hook should be an integral continuation of thebrace, although it could be a separate member secured in some suitablemanner to the brace by the manufacturer.

The bent bar 4 is arranged so that it has a vertical leg 7 forengagement with the closet wall, and a horizontal arm 8 extendingforward nearly the full width of the shelf that rests on it. The bar canbe stiffened by providing it with a central corrugation 9 extendingdownwardly along the arm and around the bend and partway down the leg.The leg is fastened to the wall by two screws :10 and 11 extendingthrough the upper and lower ends of the leg. To keep the bracket arm 8from being bent downward under the weight of the shelf, it is braced bybrace 5 extending from the front end of the arm down to the lower end ofleg 7. ll his brace is formed from a metal bar similar to the onementioned above, and likewise may be strengthened by a downwardlyextending corrugation l2.

lt is a feature of this invention that the brace is not welded to therest of the bracket, and neither are the two parts of the bracketsecured together by separate fastening members, such as bolts. Instead,the bracket can be furnished to the customer in the knock-down and canquickly be assembled by him. Accordingly, to support the lower end ofthe brace and connect it to the rear leg of the bracket, the lower endof the brace is provided with a downturned short vertical portion 14that engages flat against the front of the lower end of the leg, andthis downturned end is provided at the bottom with a vertical notch :15.Extending through the notch is a tongue I16 that is struck out of theleg and that has an upturned front end which extends up along the bracea very short distance, substantially in engagement with it. [it will beseen that the notched lower end of the brace straddles and is seated upon the forwardly projecting portion of the tongue and is held againstthe leg by means of the upturned end of the tongue. Preferably, thescrew 11 that fastens the lower end of the bracket to the wall extendsthrough the upper end of the slot 117 formed in the leg by thestruck-out tongue, and the screw also extends through a hole .18 in thebrace directly in front of that slot. This screw therefore serves thedouble purpose of fastening the bracket to the wall and making theconnection between the lower ends of the bracket members more rigid.

The upper "end of the inclined brace has a short forwardly extendinghorizontal portion 20 directly ,in front of arm '8. Together, the twohorizontal portions of the arm and brace extend the full width of theshelf. To connect the upper end of the brace to the front end of thearm, the latter is provided with a forwardly extending central tongue 21that is oifest downwardly from the up per plane of the arm. Preferably,a portion of the tongue is below the lower plane of the arm also. Thistongue extends forward through an opening 22, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5,with which the brace is provided, to locate the front end of the tonguebeneath the horizontal upper end portion 20 of the brace. Since thebrace cannot move forward off the upper tongue after the lower end ofthe brace has been mounted on lower tongue 16, the two parts of thebracket cannot come apart.

Nevertheless, as a further precaution and also as an aid in holding thetwo parts together while they are being assembled, the offset uppertongue has a narrow body and a wide front end or head as shown in FIG.4. Also, the opening 22 in the brace is a slot that starts below hori-Zontal portion 20 and has a rear portion slightly Wider than the narrowpart of the tongue but narrower than the head of the tongue. The frontend of the slot is slightly Wider than the head of the tongue butconsiderably shorter, so that in order to insert the tongue in the slotthe horizontal upper end 20 .of the brace must be tilted up into nearlya vertical position before it can be moved backward onto the tongue.After the head of the tongue has passed through the wide part of theslot, the lower end of the brace can be swung back toward the wall. ThisWilllock the upper end of the brace onto arm 8. The bent bar 4 thatforms part of the bracket has sullicient resiliency to permit the twoends of the bar to be swung apart far enough to allow the notched lowerend of the brace to be slipped over the outer end of the lower tongue16. When the bar is released, notch 15 will fit down around the tongue.The brace can be applied to the bent bar either before the bracket ismounted on the wall, or after leg 7 has been fastened to the wall andbefore the shelf has been placed on arm 8.

The shelf is fastened to the top of the bracket by at least two screws24 and 25. One of these extends up through a hole near the rear end ofthe arm while the other screw 25 preferably extends up through alignedholes 26 and 27 (FIGS. 4 and 5) in the head of the offset tongue 21 andthe overlying portion of the brace. This front screw therefore servesthe additional function of making the connection between the front endsof the bracket members more rigid.

The rigid hook 6, which supports the pole, may be formed by bending thefront end of the brace bar straight down for a few inches and thencurving it forwardly and upwardly. Of course, that is done by themanufacturer.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explainedthe principle of our invention and have illustrated and described whatwe now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire tohave it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustratedand described.

We claim:

1. A shelf and pole bracket comprising a metal bar bent to form avertical wall-engaging leg and a horizontal forwardly extendingshelf-supporting arm having at its front end a forwardly extendingcentral tongue offset downwardly from the upper plane of the arm, aninclined metal brace beneath said arm having a vertical lower endportion engaging the front of the lower portion of said leg and providedwith a vertical notch, the leg having a tongue extending through saidnotch and then upward in front of said lower end portion of the brace,the brace having a horizontal upper end portion in front of said arm,the brace being provided with an opening through which said offsettongue extends forward to a position beneath said horizontal endportion, and a pole-receiving hook rigidly suspended from the front endof the brace and extending forward therefrom.

2. A shelf and pole bracket according to claim 1, in which said bar hasenough resiliency to permit the opposite ends of the bar to be sprungaway from each other sufficiently to allow the lower end of the brace tobe fitted over said lower tongue after said offset tongue has beeninserted in said brace opening.

a 3. A shelf and pole bracket according to claim 1, in which said offsettongue has a narrow body and a wide front end, and said brace opening isa slot having a rear portion wider than said narrow body but narrowerthan the front end of the tongue, the front portion of said slot beingwider than said front end of the tongue but shorter so that the lowerend of the brace would have to be swung down away from said leg beforethe brace could be removed from the offset tongue.

4. A shelf and pole bracket according to claim 1, in which said verticalend portion of the brace and the adjoining portion of said leg areprovided aligned holes for receiving a screw to fasten the lower end ofthe bracket to a wall behind it.

5. A shelf and pole bracket according to claim 1, in which saidhorizontal portion of the brace-and the underlying tongue are providedwith aligned holes for receiving a screw to fasten the front end of thebracket to an overlying shelf.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS678,112 Callender July 9, 1901 1,156,129 Berger Oct. 12, 1915 2,908,471Hollansworth Oct. 13, 1959

1. A SHELF AND POLE BRACKET COMPRISING A METAL BAR BENT TO FORM AVERTICAL WALL-ENGAGING LEG AND A HORIZONTAL FORWARDLY EXTENDINGSHELF-SUPPORTING ARM HAVING AT ITS FRONT END A FORWARDLY EXTENDINGCENTRAL TONGUE OFFSET DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UPPER PLANE OF THE ARM, ANINCLINED METAL BRACE BENEATH SAID ARM HAVING A VERTICAL LOWER ENDPORTION ENGAGING THE FRONT OF THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID LEG AND PROVIDEDWITH A VERTICAL NOTCH, THE LEG HAVING A TONGUE EXTENDING THROUGH SAIDNOTCH AND THEN UPWARD IN FRONT OF SAID LOWER END PORTION OF THE BRACE,THE BRACE HAVING A HORIZONTAL UPPER END PORTION IN FRONT OF SAID ARM,THE BRACE BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID OFFSETTONGUE EXTENDS FORWARD TO A POSITION BENEATH SAID HORIZONTAL ENDPORTION, AND A POLE-RECEIVING HOOK RIGIDLY SUSPENDED FROM THE FRONT ENDOF THE BRACE AND EXTENDING FORWARD THEREFROM.